High Voltage

By Hannah BeechThursday, Aug. 21, 2008

Wolfgang Rattay / Reuters

JAMMIN' JAMAICAN: Bolt exults after winning the 200-m dash

There's cocky, and then, in a whole other realm of self-confidence, there's Usain Bolt. Just before his 200-m final on Aug. 20, the Jamaican sprinter mugged for the cameras, sending mimed lightning bolts (geddit?) into the Beijing sky. Four days earlier, Bolt proved himself the fastest man on earth when he clocked a world record 9.69 seconds in the 100-m dash. But the 6 ft. 5 in. (1.96 m) runner, whose prerace fuel includes chicken nuggets, boasted that the 200-m was actually his stronger race. Bolt wasn't kidding. In the final, his time of 19.30 seconds set another world record, and a a historic streak for Jamaica in Beijing, which saw its women sprinters sweep all three medals in the 100-m. The secret to Jamaica's success, according to gold medalist Shelly-Ann Fraser? "Reggae power."